Ipswich’s Buttermarket Shopping Centre is preparing to fully reopen its doors for non-essential retailers as lockdown measures continue to ease.
The popular shopping centre, home to a number of high-street brands and restaurants, will open its doors again on June 15 now non-essential stores such as clothes shops are again allowed to trade outside the online world.
It had previously only been open to allow Grape Tree and Holland and Barratt, which both sell health food, vitamins and supplements, to open with reduced operating hours,
Now, TK Maxx and Superdry will both resume trading, while other businesses are understood to also be planning to reopen as the government continues to ease lockdown measures.
TK Maxx will be operating its usual trading hours of 8.30am to 7pm on weekdays, while Superdry will be open between 10am and 4pm.
As part of the reopening, several measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of shoppers and staff, including one-way systems, hand sanitising stations, signage and an increased number of cleaning staff.
MORE: Corn Exchange toilets to open from Monday
Queueing will also be introduced at the main entrance on Buttermarket, the lower ground car park entrances and outside stores.
Other entrances and exits will remain closed, while customers may be asked to wait outside the centre to help manage a safe capacity.
The main toilets will be closed due to social distancing requirements, a spokesman said, although disabled toilets and baby change facilities will be open.
Allan Hassell, centre manager, said his team have worked hard to ensure a safe environment.
He said: “It’s been a challenging time for us all, and we’re excited to be in a position to begin opening the wider centre back up to the public.
“We have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that the Buttermarket Centre is safe to visit and shop in. As a result, customers will notice several changes around the centre designed to help keep them safe while they shop.
“I would like to thank our cleaning and security team, who have been maintaining the centre throughout this challenging time, as well as NHS, care, and other key workers for their phenomenal efforts during this global pandemic.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here